Mac address port security overview, Automatic, Limited – Allied Telesis AT-S63 User Manual

Page 712: Automatic limited

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Chapter 30: MAC Address-based Port Security

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Section VIII: Port Security

MAC Address Port Security Overview

This feature can enhance the security of your network. You can use it to
control which end nodes can forward frames through the switch, and so
prevent unauthorized individuals from accessing your network or particular
parts of the network.

This type of network security uses a frame’s source MAC address to
determine whether the switch should forward a frame or discard it. The
source address is the MAC address of the end node that sent the frame.

There are four levels of port security:

ˆ

Automatic

ˆ

Limited

ˆ

Secured

ˆ

Locked

You set port security on a per port basis. Only one security level can be
active on a port at a time.

Automatic

The Automatic security mode disables port security on a port. This is the
default security level for a port.

Limited

The Limited security level allows you to specify the maximum number of
dynamic MAC addresses a port can learn. After learning its maximum
number of addresses, a port discards all ingress frames with source MAC
addresses not already learned.

When the Limited security mode is initially activated on a port, all dynamic
MAC addresses learned by the port are deleted from the MAC address
table. The port then begins to learn new addresses, up to the maximum
allowed. After the port has learned its maximum number of addresses, it
does not learn any new addresses, even when end nodes are inactive.

A dynamic MAC address learned on a port operating in the Limited
security mode never times out from the MAC address table, even when
the corresponding end node is inactive.

Static MAC addresses are retained by the port and are not included in the
count of maximum dynamic addresses. You can continue to add static
MAC addresses to a port operating with this security level, even after the
port has already learned its maximum number of dynamic MAC
addresses. A switch port can have up to 255 dynamic and static MAC
addresses.

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